If you’re a music enthusiast, then you already know why attending the Chinese orchestra public performance is something you can never miss in your life. And with Chinese Orchestra gaining immense popularity in Singapore and beyond, it might be the ideal time to consider understanding what it entails.
Actually, this is the opportune time to master playing the different Chinese orchestra instruments on display. But before taking this important step in your life, it pays off to have a better understand of what it entails. Read on to uncover more!
What is Chinese Orchestra?
Chinese Orchestra in simple explanation is merely an orchestra that uses Chinese instruments rather than traditional Western instruments, such as the violin or viola. The string section is expanded to include both plucked and bowed instruments, not forgetting the dulcimer, which is played with mallets.
Just in case you don’t know, the Chinese orchestra is a purely 20th century invention, with its roots in the desire to match Chinese instruments to the Western repertoire. In this regard, new instruments have to be made and old instruments augmented.
An important point to remember is that most Chinese instruments tend to fill the upper range of sound, with few bass instruments. The sheng, for instance, had additional pipes so it could play harmonies. As for small treble instruments such as the erhu, they were simply made in varying sizes, and a dizi was created that could play chromatic lines.
Chinese Orchestra Instruments
There are different types of Chinese orchestra instruments you should know about and eventually learn to play. Among the most common ones include the Guzheng, Pipa, Erhu, Yangqin, Suona, and Sheng, to name a few. Understanding how each works will certainly work to your advantage.
In a nutshell, the Guzheng is the ancestor of several Asian zither instruments, such as the Japanese koto, the Mongolian yatga, the Korean gayageum, and the Vietnamese dan tranh. But you should not confuse it with the guqin. The Pipa, on the other hand, is one of the most popular Chinese instruments and has been played for nearly two thousand years in China.
Now that you have a slight insight into what the Chinese orchestra performance entails, why not consider incorporating it into your life? Actually, you might be surprised by how much you’re destined to learn from the different Chinese orchestra instruments.